Archive for April, 2006

It’s no secret that the 29″ goodness is hard to come by in Europe. Apart from On-One, scarce Gary Fishers and a few trekking style bikes, there are very few sources. Especially for aftermarket parts.

www.singlespeed.nl has been a popular choice for singlespeed nutcases from all over Europe for some time, and has now opened a new full-blown webshop dubbed “Singlespeed Central” that will also focus on offering 29″ parts.

Owner and wheel whisperer Jelle “Dudestra” Tienstra is a recent 29″ convert with his custom steel Phil Wood. You’ll spot him posting helpful write-ups on the web as “JJT”. Some may remember him as the jolly Dutch giant that promoted the already legendary international singlespeed events in Arnhem, 2004 and 2005.

www.singlespeed.nl (click “Shop”) always has the latest product news, and a very complete glossary of what’s out there. Jelle is Dutch, so he can handle inquiries in English and German no-problem.

It’s a common issue, for 26″ and 29″ bikes alike. A bit more for 29″ though.
Modern suspension forks seem to have a tower of adjustments and flags on top of their crown, to the point that they won’t clear the downtube, for instance in case of a crash. Your older frame may not yet be corrected for these new “improved” fork dimension. Bad for your frame finish and even warranty.

Ventana already invented a special lower race to fit the Chris King headset with higher stack. But not everyone can afford that, so now On-One makes a whole headset specifically to solve this issue!

The On-One Smoothie line of headsets consists of the Light, Regular and Grande models. The regular also comes in +5mm. The lower cup is simply made taller by 5mm, keeping the frame safely away from any knobs attacking your precious powdercoat or even compromizing downtube integrity. No need to file away material from the fork, replace screws, etc. Just fit this nifty headset.

Mark down May 10th as the day when Raliegh will do a dealer intro for thier upcoming ’07 lineup which will include a 29″er…….or maybe two! The rumor has been running around on the internet for weeks that Raliegh would be introducing a single speed 29″er in steel at a budget price. However; today I heard from my source that there might be two 29″er bikes in the ’07 lineup. The thought was that the singlespeed may be first with an undisclosed model possibly coming out for public viewing at this falls Interbike trade show. Perhaps a geared bike? Let’s hope so, as the single speed selection is getting over saturated.

As of the 21st of April, Solitude Cycles has decided to limit its offering of custom frames to singlespeeds and 29″ / 700c wheels.

The first year of trading has been a steep learning curve and it has caused the business to evolve at a great rate, so we have decided to limit ourselves to what we do best: one gear, big wheels and fillet brazed steel.

Frames can be built with stainless steel trackends, Paragon sliding drop outs or a drilled out Phil Wood Eccentric Bottom Bracket (the last two options allowing disc brakes to be used) and all the normal Solitude features: full custom design, hand picked tubes, stainless anti-cable-rub strips, 200+ powder coat colours and all the fittings you could want included in the price.

29er suspension forks are available at time of purchase from White Bothers as well as the full range of Phil Wood hubs and bottom brackets. For riders looking for rigid forks Solitude recommends On-One cro-mo or carbon 29er forks. Complete builds are available through the Solitude Cycles approved LBS, John Atkins Cycles.

Many “old skoolers” might remember the Project 7 series bikes built by Bianchi back in the early 90’s. They really were one of the very first “29”ers” ever mass produced. Well, they didn’t have “the tire” ( WTB’s famous Nanoraptor) back then, but if they did, those Project series bikes would have been “true” 29″ers and at any rate, they were way ahead of the times!

I spoke with a Bianchi rep today who let on that Bianchi will have a new 29″er singlespeed based off of their cyclo cross frame with a front suspension fork for the upcoming ’07 season. This source thought it might even be available by fall. Celeste and big wheels! Sounds pretty cool. Welcome back, Bianchi!